Vehicle-spring



(No'ModeL) V C A.'BEHLEN.

' VEHICLE SPRING.-

I Patented Apr. 1, 1884.

UNITED STATES PATENT Grinch.

CHARLES AUGUSTUS BEHLEN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,113, dated April 1 1884.

Application filed December 17, 1883. (N0 model.)

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES AUGUSTUS BEHLEN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Vehicle-Sprin of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to the construction of springs for vehicles.

. The object of my invention is-to produce a spring which, shall be very elastic and have an easy andsensitive action, with but a comparatively small range of motion. f

Figure 1 is a side view of my springs as used with a box-body of a four-wheeled vehicle. Fig. 2 is a plan of part of Fig. 1, looking up ward. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my springs as used with abox-body of a four-wheeled vehiole, but differently arranged with reference to Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5, and6 are detail views.

I am aware that a Mr. Saladee obtained a patent fora sidebar-vehicle spring October 3, 1882, which consists of a bent arm and a straight fiat spring fastened together at their adjoining ends, and fastened to the framing or side bars and to the vehicle-body, respectively, at their other ends. I

My improved vehicle-spring resembles Mr. Saladees only in having a fiat spring attached to one end of a spring made up of leaves, and attached at its other end by a shackle to the side bar or framing of the running-gear. My spring differs from Mr. Saladees in its essential construction and peculiar mode of operation, and in the method of supporting the body of the vehicle upon the same.

The spring shown in Fig. 1 consists of a branch of a bent leaf-sping, 1, and of a fiat leaf or bar, 2,which maybe either straight or curved. These two parts are rigidly attached to each other by means of bolts 5, passing through them and securing them together. The other end of the lower or bent leaf-spring branch, 1, is attached by means of shackle 10 to the sidebar, 9, of the vehicle. Tothe under side of the said leaf-spring l thereis attached by means of the same bolts, 5, a short leaf or strip, 3, provided ,withan eye at one end. The inner ends of theleaf-spring 1 andthe fiat spring 2 and of the strip 3 are all adjacent, so that the eye of the leaf or strip 3 is located at a distance from the inner ends of the springs 1 and 2. A bracket, 6, is bolted to the middle of the under side of the spring-bar 11, and has" two similar downward-projecting hingearms, la-one near each endand between the two projecting arms at one end of the bracket one of the springs just described is placed, and is secured by means of a bolt or pin passing through the eye of the leaf or strip 3. and through the eyes in the lower ends of the hingearms 4, thereby making a hinge-connection be tween the bracketB, attached to and supporting the body, and the connected ends of the spring-branches 1 and 2. Abracket, 7, attached to the bottom of the body by means of bolts 8, has a downward projection provided with a slot, in which the outer end of the'upper flat part, 2, of the spring slides and is guided. The rocker-bars 12 are connected with the springbars in the usual manner, the platesof the brackets 7 being bolted to the under sides of both the rocker-bars and the springbars by means of the bolts 8, and thereby answering the purpose of ordinary connecting-plates at said joints. Fig. 4 is an end view of one of said brackets 7 for the upper flat spring, and Fig. 5 is an end view of the bracket 6 for hinging the spring-bar 11 to the springs.

The outer ends of the lower curved branches, 1, are shown attached bymeans, of shackles 10 to the side bars, 9. The action of the load upon the springs tends to force the lower curved branches, 1, outward, and causes them to bend at the short curves under the shackles 10, so that there is a slight outward and upward rotation of the ends of the springs 1 about the shackle-bolts. The same load would tend to push the inner ends of the said springs l downward, and to cause the vehicle-body to pass between the side bars. When the springs are attached as shown in Fig. 1, the load acts upon the lower curved branches, 1, by pulling the eyes of the eyeplates or strips 3 downward. This results in an outward. thrust through the springs, as described, and since the load can act downward only along the vertical lines passing through thehinges 3 ,4, and not in circles having the shacklepins 10 as centers,the main part of each of the branches 1 is bent, so that its curvature about the hingepin is increased. This upward bowing of the spring-branch 1 causes its inner end, which projects inward from the hinge-bolt, to rotate downward and about the hinge-bolt. Said rotary action of the inner end of said spring,

branch 1 causes the attached flat spring 2 to bow upward also, for, its inner end being in contact with a considerable portion of the top surface of the lower spring branch, 1, and being rigidly attachedto the inner end of the latter,the inner end of the said flat spring 2 is made to partake of the same rotary motion as the lower curved branch,1,about the hinge 3 1. This rotation of the inner ends of the branches 1 and 2 inwardly about the hinge-bolt causes the outer free end of the upper branch, 2, to press upward against its bearing in the guiding-bracket 7, and causes the branch 2 to move inward and slide in its slot in the bracket 7. The action of a load upon a set of the said springs in making their inner ends rotate about the hingebolt causes the upper flat branch, 2, to lap down upon the top surface of the lower branch, 1, so that the upper flat branch acts like an additional leaf on the top of the branch 1, and said action causes the upper flat branch to strengthen the lower branch in proportion as the load increases and as the curvature of the lower branch, 1, is increased. In proportion to the load and to the consequent rotation of the inner end of the spring about the hinge-bolt, the upper flat branch, 2, is acted upon throughout its length, and in offering resistance to bending prevents the lower branch, 1, from bending to an equal amount.

The two sets of springs of the pair in Fig. 1 are shown placed directly opposite and end to end. The bracket 6 might be replaced by two other brackets, each of which might be substantially the same as half of the bracket -6. The parallel downward-projecting hingearms 4: for one of the springs might be part of one end of a bracket, and the guide-bearing slot for the same spring might be formed in the other end of the same bracket.

In Fig. 3 the rocker-bars 8 are shown set into the ends of the spring-bar 11, instead of being placed against its ends. This modification of the method of attaching the parts of the body-framing does not prevent the application'of the above brackets 7.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the hingebracket shown in Fig. 3. This bracket, as shown, has one upward-projecting bolt, which passes through the spring-bar 11. The lower part of said bracket might be cast and an ordinary bolt passed upward through a hole in its top, and thus secure it to the spring-bar. The guide-bracket 7 of Fig. 3 terminates in a bolt also, which secures it to the spring-bar in the same manner.

In Fig. 3 the pairs of springs, instead of being placed end to end, as in Fig. 1, are so placed that one pair lies alongside of the other, and that its inner end projects past the in y ner end of the other. This arrangement permits-of longer springs being used,.and consequently of a greater range of vibration of the elastic parts.

. v.lnFig. 3 the upper or straightbranch, 2, is 7o a number of leaves, as is an ordinary leafspring.

In Fig. 3 the hinge-bracket 4 6 and the guide-bracket 7,-belonging to the same set of springs,are placed in line with the corresponding set of springs. Here the hinge-bracket 6 4: 'for one set of springs might be combined in the same casting or forging with theguidebracket 7 of the other set, as they might in certain arrangements be side by side, or in others contiguous, and since when the two sets of springs lap past each other sufficient 1y, as in Fig. 3, the said hinge-bracket and the said guide-bracket will always come at the same end of the spring-bar. The two sets of springs might be so placed alongside of each other that the two hinge-brackets would be located side by side, or very near each other, in which case they could form parts of the same casting, and might be so combined as that but only three, or even only two, hinge arms or eyes would be necessary.

The guideebracket 7 in Figs. 1, 2, and 4 or the guide-bracket 7 in 'Fig. 3 could be replaced by another device which would permit of the sliding motion required by the upper branch, 2. Instead of the said brackets 7 terminating in'downward projections having slots for the branches 2 to slide in, either held against the lug by having a longitudinal slot in it at that locality, through which a pin might pass, the pin having a screw-thread on one end for screwing into the lug, and a head on the lower end, which would project beyond the slot and bear against the under side of the said sliding branch 2, so as to hold the latter against the lug of the bracket. This construction enables the screw-pin to be screwed up as the parts wear, and hence rattling would be prevented.

The pieces designated by the numerals 9 in Figs. 1 and 3 have been considered as the side bars or side framing of a side-bar vehicle; but the said pieces may be parts of the running-gear which are placed parallel with the axles. One piece 9 may be the rear axle itself, and the other piece 9 may be the bolster over the front axle.

The lower spring branch, 1, has been described as a leaf-spring; but my invention and claims are intended to embody the construction wherein the said branch 1 may be made of but one piece, which may have a uniform or a varying cross-section, and the main or central portion of whichmay be straighter curved, and which piece may be made of materiainot having the flexibility of spring material,

The upper spring branch, 2, may be curved, when unloaded, instead of straight.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The vehicle-spring consisting of the combination of the branch 1, having the construction setforth, with the branch 2, the branch 2 being rigidly attached to the end of the branch 1, as set forth, and having its other end free to slide in a suitable bearing in a bracket attached to the spring bar or body, and the connected ends of the said two spring branches being hinged to a bracket projecting from the bottom of the vehicle-body, and being free to oscillate on the hinge-bolt, as set forth.

2. The vehicle spring consisting of the combination of the branch 1, having the construction set forth, with the branch 2, having the construction set forth, and with the strip 3, having a hinge-eye and secured to the connected ends of the branches 1 and 2, as set forth, and with a bracket attached to the under side of the vehicle-body, and having downward projections, with eyes and ahingebolt for hinging the connected 'ends of the spring branches 1 and 2 to the said bracket, and with a bracket attached to the bottom of the vehiole-body and provided with a slot for guiding the free. end of the spring branch 2.

CHARLES AUGUSTUS BEHLEN W'itnesses:

E. P. ROBBINS, HENRY BAER, Jr. 

